According to Goal Espana, Arsenal have put behind all the other suitors and they are now the favourites to land Raphinha.
Barcelona were said to be the frontrunners in signing the winger but since Leeds United have remained in the Premier League, their interest in Raphinha seems to have cooled down.
Fabrizio Romano has asserted Barcelona had been in contact with Raphinha’s agent since February but they are yet to agree on a deal with Leeds United.
Liverpool and Arsenal had always been in the mix but reports over the weekend had suggested that Manchester United have also joined the race to sign the 25-year-old. Rashford and Jadon Sancho both like to play on the left wing which is why Erik ten Hag wants to plug the gap on the right-hand side asap.
Are Arsenal seriously on the verge of signing Raphinha?
Raphinha had his heart set on a move to Barcelona but the Camp Nou outfit just cannot seem to make up their mind.
Goal Espana has claimed that Arsenal are the clear favourites to land the winger and they expect the transfer to be wrapped up this week.
Raphinha has been a shining spark in an otherwise subpar season for Leeds so it’s not a major surprise that Mikel Arteta is keen to bring him on board. Also, Barcelona seem to have cooled off their interest and maybe Arsenal are trying to use this opportunity to leverage themselves up the ladder and sign the Leeds winger.
Will the other clubs make a move for Raphinha before he joins Arsenal?
Well, Goal Espana has very slyly claimed that Arsenal hope to agree on a deal ‘this week’, if ‘nothing changes’ but now Fabrizio Romano has provided a clearer picture on this whole scenario.
As per the transfer expert, Arsenal have been interested in Raphinha since March but they have just entered negotiations with Leeds United. Also, apart from Liverpool, United and Barcelona, London clubs Chelsea and Spurs have also been in contact with the Elland Road outfit.
Raphinha situation. 🚨🇧🇷 #LUFC
▫️ Barcelona agreed personal terms with Raphinha, but no agreement on fee with Leeds.
▫️ Arsenal are in direct negotiations with Leeds, interested since March.
▫️ Both Chelsea & Tottenham have been in contact too.
▫️ Fee could be around 65/75m. pic.twitter.com/39igUIOTqV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2022
This basically means Arsenal still have a long way to go before they bring the Brazilian on board because once they sort out the deal with Leeds United, they will have to agree on personal terms with the player as well.
There’s no way the North London side will be able to make the transfer happen in the next couple of days, more so because the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United are also likely to make offers.
The entry of Chelsea and Spurs seem to be very latest developments so we don’t know much about that but both these clubs are more than capable of matching the desired transfer fee.
Also, Barcelona have not yet given up hope and if they come calling then Raphinha is likely to snub all the Premier League interests and head to Spain.
